Ultimate Member vs User Frontend (September 2026)
Updated September 7, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Membership Plugins top 10: Ultimate Member at #2 and User Frontend at #10. Ultimate Member leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
Ultimate Member
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin
Membership & community plugin with user profiles, registration & login, member directories, content restriction, user roles and much more.
User Frontend
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission
Create an AI-powered frontend post form, user registration form, user profile page, membership site, user directory, and content restriction.
Who leads on what
Ultimate Member leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track.
Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #10 in Membership Plugins.
Ultimate Member has more users: 200,000+ active installs against 20,000+.
Ultimate Member is rated higher: 4.4 out of 5 from 1,445 reviews, against 4.1 from 534 reviews.
Ultimate Member has more reviews behind its score: 1,445 against 534.
User Frontend was updated more recently, on August 25, 2026; Ultimate Member on August 24, 2026.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
Ultimate Member
Pick Ultimate Member if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, the review score matters most to you or you want the score backed by more reviews.
User Frontend
Pick User Frontend if you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Ultimate Member vs User Frontend side by side
| Ultimate Member | User Frontend | |
|---|---|---|
| Membership Plugins ranking | #2 | #10 |
| Rating | 4.4 | 4.1 |
| Reviews | 1,445 | 534 |
| Active installs | 200,000+ | 20,000+ |
| Total downloads | 13,493,202 | 1,976,180 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | – | – |
| Last updated | Aug 24, 2026 | Aug 25, 2026 |
| First published | Jan 21, 2015 | Jan 10, 2011 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free on WordPress.org |
30-day download figures appear after both plugins have 30 days of tracking.
Ultimate Member ratings
User Frontend ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither Ultimate Member nor User Frontend can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Membership Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
Ultimate Member vs User Frontend: common questions
Is Ultimate Member better than User Frontend?
Ultimate Member leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #10 in Membership Plugins.
Which has more users, Ultimate Member or User Frontend?
Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #10 in Membership Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Ultimate Member or User Frontend?
Ultimate Member has more users: 200,000+ active installs against 20,000+.
Are Ultimate Member and User Frontend free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Ultimate Member is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist. User Frontend may also sell a paid version or add-ons.
Alternatives to Ultimate Member and User Frontend
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
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- Simple Membership After Login Redirection vs User Frontend
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- Ultimate Member vs User Registration
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Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.